The Irish standard., 1887-11-19
!. THE LITERATURE OF '48.
An Interesting Lecture by hlr,
Justin McUarthy,
NJ. p.
CLARENCE MANGAN'S POETRY.
The literature Of '49 Was Manly Inspired
by Three Men-The Poems OF
Thomas DAVIS.

Du1tJ SLG0l\eS"'
Sir Charles, in opening the proceed
inps, said they knew Mr.. Mccarthy in
varied capacities. He (the chairman)
was there to mark his respect fol- ME-.
McCarthY's intellect and character,
and fo, the use which he had made OF
both (cheers); he was also there because
he had sympathy with the subject on
which MI. Mccarthy was to speak, ana
lastly from party sympathy with those
assembled that they were far from Ire
land. but resolved that they would not
forget their country (cheers). lie had
lived a long time, and had never IN
varied career in both hemispheres
known men who touched his heart and
moved him so much as the men and
women of whom MIR, Mccarthy would
speak (cheers). They served their
country with all their hearts. They
served it with noble simplicity and
djsinterestedness, and he might say OF
them as one of their own poets wrote:
They rose i'll dark and evil days
70 right their native land,
They kind]cd there living blaze
Which nothing shall Withstand.
Alas that might hath conquered right
They fell and passed away;
But true men, like yon men,
Re,1re1nber them to-day.
lCjee1s)
Mr. Justin Mccarthy, who was re-
ceived with loud cheers, at the outset
Of his lecture said he would scarcely
have chosen to discourse on such sub
ject had hs known that the president
that evening was to be one OF the men
who made the literature Of lS46 (cheers).
1t was not his intention to give crit
icaI and scholarly discourse on that
literature, but only to gather up III q
hasty manner the impressions he
formed in The year ls48 his first open
lug year in public lie Ireland was
awakening at that time into a percep-
ton Of the nationality, not OF the
country--ttat was always feit--but the
nationality Of feeling and sentiment in
days not very remote to that time.
There seemed to have been q gap dur
;np which Irish sentiment and national
feeling had not yet feund adequate ex-
preston in English poetry and English
prose, and it would seem as If during
that time she bad been learning the
language OF the ct nquercr in order to
express their ideas in that English
tongue. In the very last novel of
Charles Lever the Greek girl was
puzzled because Irish patriots-me
and wouoen--told the story of 1reland's
complaints and wrongs i'll the tongue Of
the conqueror, and she wondered it
there could be found a Greek girl who
would sing the praises OF wrongs Of
Greece in the language of Che Turk
Captive Greece never convinced the
Turk by arguments addressed to him in
his own language {bear, hear), but the
Irish might claim to have conquered
their conquerors in that respect. They
had given such contributions to the
English language that they might
claim to have made it their own. and if
they revived the culture of their own
language, and if it We're spoken univer-
sally, nevertheless they should not give
up the conquest of the English tongue.
The literature OF 1913 was mainly in
splred by three men one was dead, one
was living (cheers). and One though
dead, lived still in the person Of his
heroic and patriotic son (cheers). He
referred to Thomas Davis, Charles
Gavan Duffy and John Blake Dillon
(cbeers). They founded the Nation
newspaper; but they did something
more than that, they started the nation
itself (cheers), they gave voice and di-
rection to Irish National sentiment and
literature, and had given that impulse
which had had so much practical power
in bringing the Irish cause to- its pres-
.ent success Cheers. He had omitted
when speaking on this subj bject on for
mer occasions Ito speak Of Clarence
fMangan, who died immed edistelY after
51848.3 He remembe bered Il hearing Sin
George TreYel lyan, when hes was gSecre-
sstary for reland say yiinR once lr the
House Eofi Common as that he had no idea
55atl 81 Esintil hes setudie ed Irish books of the
Ken poet1 and genius
I'gla 1,ig Bos
Il1''E Bs